Gods and beginning of Onoth
In the beginning there were only five entities that inhabited the universe. Arnous, Nephilia, Rodagott, Grettalia, and Vottus - shapeless beings which saw the blank void before them as a limitless canvas. Each one of these beings had the ultimate desire to create. But these ancient architects first needed something as a foundation for their works of ‘art’ as they saw.
Rodagott was the first. He envisioned a sturdy, solid mass that could either rise high, or fall low, that could crumble and shift. This was how the Earth was first formed, as nothing but rock and stone, mountains and canyons.
Grettalia was next. She envisioned something that was in complete contrast to the rocky landscape created by Rodagott. She wanted something shapeless, that could easily form to the environment around it. Similar to the void but….with more defined mass. And thus the oceans and lakes were created, water pouring across land and filling the once barren canyons with seas.
Arnous saw this, and took much inspiration from Grettalia as he began his creation. He also wanted something shapeless, but not as defined as water. Something more vague but ever present. Something you could not see, but you could feel and hear. Something that could also produce extraordinary power, and thus the sky was created. With the sky came the clouds, air, and wind. At times it was peaceful, in other times more destructive.
Nephilia and Vottus both had yet to put their own creations upon this new world. After much discussion between the two, they both conceived an idea for a final piece to this new form of art. A meeting was held between the five deities in which Nephilia and Vottus convinced the other three to all work as one for this final piece. They sought to put grass and trees upon the land. Herds of animals to graze such grass, birds to nest in the trees, and even fish to swim in Grettalia’s vast oceans - to create life. They all agreed, and together they worked to put the first forms of life into the world. Animals of all shapes and sizes, plants in various forms, were finally created. It took a great deal of their combined power, imbuing and gifting these creatures with their very own essence - which would come to be known as magic.
After all this was done, the five grew weary. This creation took most of their energy and so they all began to rest. Much time had passed when they slumbered, and when they awoke they discovered a strange anomaly. There were...creatures which none of the five had created. Curious little beings that seemed to have appeared from nowhere! This frightened the five at first, they did not know from where these beings came from or what they might do.
The five spread far and wide across the world, and many of these beings seemed to have manifested! They were animals, but not quite? They seemed far too intelligent, far beyond the intelligence they gifted the plants and animals they knew they had created. Some were short and stocky, others were tall and thin with smooth skin and pointed ears. Some were scaled, some were even living in the depths of the deepest seas.
Council was held, as this was a startling discovery to the five. Had one of them created these beings in secret? Was there a sixth god that they, for one reason or another, had never perceived before? After much discussion they came to the conclusion that these beings - mortals as they began to call them - must have been manifestations of their magic as they poured it into the world. Their creation was unintentional. Now they had to figure out what to do with these beings.
After much time, they eventually returned to the mortal realm to observe once more. To their amazement the mortals had advanced far faster than was expected. They went from simple cave dwellers who had just discovered the importance of fire to forming small communities with structures crafted out of wood and stone.
A second council was held, and this time Nephilia proposed a solution. She proposed that they should simply restart and recycle all their work, killing all these creatures in the process. They were not an intentional creation, they are a mistake and therefore should be erased. Yet Arnous disagreed. He argued that even though their creation was not something they all intended, they were there. And to rid them of their lives and rob them of a future was seen as immensely cruel by Arnous. Afterall, what if the same had happened to themselves? The very creation of the five was a mystery to even them, and if a power beyond themselves decided to make them vanish, would they not see that as cruelty?
After much discussion, it was agreed that the mortals would be allowed to persist much to Nephilia’s contempt. She still advocated for their destruction. However she kept herself silent for a time, yet soon began to plead to the other four about her thoughts. Again, she argued that these mortals should not persist. They were a mistake, and as she had come to prove, their continued existence was taking a toll on the gods. As mortals inherited the magics from the gods in their creation, it had permanently diminished the total power of the five. They were only a fraction as strong as they once were and as the mortals grew in population the gods grew weaker...
Arnous agreed that yes, indeed their power was greatly diminished due to the existence of these mortals, however they can not destroy them for selfish reasons. Arnous proved to be the most compassionate of all the gods, seeing all mortals as their children to be loved. Nephilia’s resentment for the mortals grew and grew, until she finally came up with a new idea. She would create her own creatures by her own design and place them upon the world. However first she would need more power to do so, and she sought that power from Vottus. In a violent struggle she consumed him and all his knowledge and power, now becoming the most powerful of the remaining four deities. It did not take long for Arnous, Grettalia and Rodagott to notice these events. They furiously confronted Nephilia, who then began to retaliate upon the other three. After an incredible battle that shook all of the mortal realm, Nephilia was defeated. Arnous, Grettalia and Rodagott constructed a new realm, a prison, specifically to hold Nephilia so she could cause no more chaos.
It was a dark realm of violence and torture, and Nephilia was alone here for a time. She was trapped, unable to escape. Yet she discovered that she could still create. So she got to work, creating her own creatures like she had planned to fill her new home. They were disgusting, violent beasts designed only to kill, to bring chaos and suffering to all who would encounter them. These beings, the demons, she was able to send to the mortal realm. She sought revenge, and would take it by having her own creations wreak havoc wherever they could upon the world.
Arnous returned to Nephilia’s prison, alone, after witnessing her transgressions. Again, a great battle broke out between these two which only ended when Arnous was cast out of Nephilia’s realm. In order to provide her own security, so that Arnous or the other two gods would not be able to enter her realm without invitation, she created an unholy seal surrounding her personal realm, her prison.
And there she remained, Nephilia sealed away in Hell, plotting and scheming her revenge against Arnous, Grettalia and Rodagott. Through the ages she would send her champions to the mortal realm in an effort to ruin everything the others had created. In return the three, though weakened, used their own power to create their own mortal champions. They would act upon their will within the world, created and destroyed in times of extraordinary crisis.
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